PSA for People who Play Pokemon GO and Those who Don’t

As a 90’s kid, the news of Pokemon GO was one of the greater things I’d heard last year! And now it’s finally out, and everyone’s playing! Not everyone, but this is what I’m going to address here.

This mobile, augmented reality game has people of all ages out and about looking for and capturing cute little creatures in the real world, on their mobile devices. Pokemon GO allows people to finally get a chance to find and catch ’em all. Both the 90’s version of the game have evolved, and so have we.

I, too, am engulfed in the nostalgia and the new take on the game. Our dreams have come true. There are POKEMON AND POKEMON TRAINERS IN OUR WORLD!! WE are them, WE are catching and training and researching and battling and leading the gyms. On Day 1, I met six other grown adults playing. I chatted with strangers which nearly unheard of these days. They didn’t feel like strangers at all. We had something in common.

People know what Pokemon are, and they know that people are out there catching them. It’s affected so many more people than I would have imagined. Whether they choose to partake or not, they know it exists. This concept hit me the other day when I saw the following sign posted.

Now, onto some important notes for everyone:

PSA for Pokemon GO players

BE SAFE. It sounds cheesy to say “Safety first!” But seriously.

SAFETY EFFING FIRST, FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE

Don’t ruin it for the rest of us and get it banned in miscellaneous places. It really is just a game. Sure, it makes some of us really happy, and that’s an understatement in some cases, but it is absolutely not the essence of your existence. For the safety of yourself AND OTHERS, and all of our abilities to continue playing, please use common sense. Do not put yourself or anyone else in harm’s way to capture a Pokemon.

DO respect those who do not want to play, nor understand why you’re so excited. Just keep being excited, and let them be excited about whatever it is that excites them. I like to believe that our generation is better than that. Please don’t prove me wrong.

PSA for those who don’t

TL;DR: It’s okay to not want to play, or not even like the game. If you’re concerned about safety, say so, and make your words a positive impact. It helps people so let them have their fun.

Upon release, I’d seen a huge influx of posts about the game, as I’m sure all of you have as well. To me, it was refreshing. However, to some, people found the need to loathe “it”. It’s okay to not play. It’s okay to be annoyed at all the Facebook posts you see. It hasn’t even been two weeks. The hype WILL fade, just like everything else.

But please think twice before simply bashing on those who do play.

My guess is that 98% of those who say these things haven’t even given the game a shot. In essence, what you’re really putting down are the people who play, and that’s just not right. If you’re concerned about someone’s actions while playing Pokemon Go in a dangerous manner, address them directly and voice your concerns appropriately. A positive way of alerting players to danger is a great use of the care you have for your community.

Calling people [expletive] on social media is not ever going to get your point across. So don’t.

It does not make it appropriate to cast a negative judgement upon them just because you don’t empathize with them.

Is there a TV show that you enjoy? A movie? A favorite food? Watching a favorite sports team? Playing a sport or game? ANYTHING you’re passionate about? That’s great! But chances are, there are people who don’t feel the same way as you. And that’s okay, too! Instead of making a big deal about it, they’re happy you’ve found something in it that you really like.

Pokemon GO is their smile-maker. Their reason to go out of their rooms, a factor in the road to better mental health, something that makes them just happy.

Let them play. They don’t need your blanket negativity, and neither do you.